Be my accomplices, help me plan the surprise

[Lizzybee]

I'm surprising my kids with a trip do Disney in a few weeks and so far everything is going smoothly...managed to slip the ressie packet and ME info by the kids and they suspect nothing.
I have our ADR's, flights, ordered my Disney Visa reward cards...now for the plot.

I'm not telling the kids til we're almost at the airport. Originally I had planned on having them open numbered envelopes with one word in each envelope to make up the phrase "How would you like to go to the happiest place on Earth?" and the show them again a sign "TODAY"!
I came up with a more intricate plan. My kids are 11 and 7 and I thought I'd give them clues to the same words (example clue one is a picture of a cow with the words "question word that rhymes with this"). I think this will keep them off the trail longer on the way to the airport (btw we are flying out of an airport they haven't flown out of and I'm telling them I'm taking time off work and we're going to Chicago...all factual info). My question (sorry this is long) should I give them the clues in order or make it even tougher by giving them out of order and making them figure out the order?

 

[madurbi]

I think you shoul tell them they all have to go to Florida for someother reason you think up and make it something that you really don't want to have to go to and that they wouldn't want to either. That way they would not be excited about going on the trip at all and when you landed you could then tell them it was a big joke and that you are going to the happiest place on earth. this would be great. I don't know what excuse you could make up though. Maybe it could be some sort of business trip excuse.

 

[jmet]

Oh FUN!!!! I just LOVE a surprise!! I think it really depends on the kids - so it's a little hard to say - but I am just starting to figure out that if it were MY kids the more simple idea would actually get more bang for it's buck (I think!). The reason is that it seems that way the idea just hits them quicker and isn't as likely to get "watered down" as they are slowly catching on. I hope that makes sense!
But on the other hand - I do LOVE the idea of unsrambling the message too....hmmmm. I am VERY prone to dreaming up intricate plans to surprise my kids - but one of the BEST reactions I got was when I just made up a certificate on the computer "announcing" our plans (that was just for a quick overnight trip to a local waterpark hotel for my DS13's b-day). so go figure. I am actually in the process myself of deciding how to surprise them at Christmas with the Disney cruise we are doing in January. I know them - and I KNOW I will probably get the best reaction doing something simple because it seems to take awhile for it just to sink in - even when I spell it out, but I am constantly dreaming up a new scheame every time I turn around...wrapping up puzzle pieces (seperatlely), scavenger hunts (done a few of those already though), gifts that are clues...on and on I go. I can't help myself!! So I understand your dilemma, but again, I guess it depends on the kids.

Anyway - I probably didn't help at all - I just want to say good luck with whatever you decide - and I hope you post and let us know how it went!!!

Jamie

 

[DMRick]

For me, most of the fun of the trip is planning it and looking forward to it. So while I like to surprise the grands, I like to give them some time to be excited and look forward to the trip as well. Just another viewpoint.
Last Christmas, our gift to the family was a trip to Disney. We bought a magic set for each of the grandboys at the under $10 shop in DTD on a previous trip. They unwrapped it, and we told them to find the rest of the surprise, they had to do the magic tricks. We "rigged" them to say, you are going on a trip to Disney and the whole family is going with you. The funny part is, our 12 year old grandson actually thought he won the trip..it went right over his head that it was our gift to him.
For our granddaughter, we bought a Disney music box (at the Chrismas Tree shop), and one of the drawers slid open and had a paper that told her about the trip.

 

[Lizzybee]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I don't think I could pass off the "Florida for business" or any other reason than to go to WDW with my kids. I'm a compliance officer for the courts, they don't send me anywhere let alone someplace nice LOL.

Jmet...your mental process on this sounds just like mine! I will post the results. Thanks!

DMRIck I know what you mean, especially my 11 yr old would love to help plan the trip. I wanted to give them a different experience this time, also this way they may actually sleep the night before the trip a bit. They have both told me they wanted to be surprised with a trip to WDW someday and now the day has come. I do know what you mean though. I am tempted every day to spill the beans!

 

[bluejasmine]

I think about an hour before you leave for the airport you should do a sort scavanger hunt where they have to find a item and on the back will be a "key" word and another hint for the next item that will have the next word but mix them all up so that once they have them all they have to put them in order to figure it out and tell them once they figure it out they win a prize, I would just get some kind of prize keeping with the Disney magic for each of them and then it will be time to leave for the airport! I am so bad at keeping secrets from my kids that I have never been able to keep it quite about our trips but I sure would love to see their faces if I could. Please tell us what you did and how it went..